Top Tuesday: 3 things we want from the Next-gen (and 2 we don't)

By Zaid at Tuesday, February 12, 2013 11:06:00 AM

In about eight days time we'll probably have a lot more concrete info on the features of the PlayStation Orbis (yep, I'm sticking to my naming prediction) and I bet it won't be long after that before Microsoft offers the details on their next-console. Until then, we're all stuck on a layover in "Speculation City International Airport".

So since we are in Speculation City, might as well speculate. But I'm not going to talk about more powerful processors and 4K graphical output ability, I think it's pretty obvious that whatever else we can expect from the new consoles come Christmas time, they will be more powerful. That's a given, surely? Hopefully, we get some unexpected and surprising news once all is revealed, but whatever the outcome, here are a few things I hope come with the next generation of video game consoles and a few I don't.

3 things I want:

1. A focus on the games
I think it's nice that my Xbox and PS3 can play videos and music off of my Batman-shaped flashdirve and access to You Tube and other online services are sweet too. But the main reason I bought my Xbox/PS3 was so that I could play games on it. You know, since it's a gaming console. So when I turn on my new Xbox 720 or PlayStation Orbis can the first thing I see be about the games please. Thanks.

2. Free Online Multi-player
This is actually directed at Microsoft, more than at Sony and Nintendo. I don't have a problem with paying for Xbox Live Gold, since it does give you a number of additional features - well if you live overseas anyway - but I think we've moved to a point now, where online play needs to be part of Silver Accounts. Right now, the requirement for Gold in order to play online is like an additional tax on gamers. And since there are no such restrictions on the PS3. Wii U and PC, having to pay for the privilege goes in the minus column as far as I am concerned. It's unlikely this will happen since Xbox Live Gold subscriptions are a positive revenue stream for Microsoft, but if people start buying PS4's instead, Microsoft won't be making any money at all.

3. Two controls in the box

This seems like a silly addition, but I'm a simple man with simple needs. I like playing local co-op and gathering my buddies around every other Sunday for an impromptu Tekken throwdown, a Gears of War Horde rush, a Wii Sports tournament, or some Spec Ops. Not having to spend an extra R800 bucks on another controller would go along way to making that happen sooner rather than later.

And 2 things we don't want:

1. Overly Restrictive Digital Right Management (DRM)
I understand piracy is a problem, but please can your solutions to solving it actually affect the pirates? Because as far as I can tell, them thar pirates aren't feeling nuffem, me harties. So things like always online consoles, lets not do that. I think PC gamers can tell you how it feels when their game crashes out because the solution to a problem they're not a part of stops working. Whatever your justifications, it's bad customer service guys, just don't it.

2. Locking games to consoles
In an ideal world, everyone that wanted to buy a game, could buy that game. Surprisingly, we don't actually live in an ideal world. Go figure. So what do we resort to? We borrow games from our friends and buy them second hand or pool our money together to buy them. Gaming is an expensive hobby and locking games to consoles is going to hurt the publishers and console makers way more than it's going to hurt the gamers. Oh we'll grumble, but at the end of the day all that's going to happen is that we're going to be even more selective about that games we buy, which means we're going to be buying less games overall. And whose going to be worse off in that situation? So yeah, don't do that either.